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Contemporary Suspense & Romance
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Category Archives: blogging
Liebster Award for blogging
I have been nominated for the Leibster Award, it’s all about finding new blogs to visit and enjoy.
I am thrilled to have been nominated for this award by Jacquie Biggar, blogger and author extraordinaire. You can check out her blog at www.jacquiebiggar.com. I’ve followed her blog since she first began posting to it, and I love to keep current on what she’s writing. I always learn something as well as get entertained when I visit there.
She asked me a few questions that I’ll do my best to answer 🙂
1 – What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?
I have a lot of fun with it. I started my blog for my writing and my books, but I also love gardening, travel and a ton of other stuff. I can talk about whatever I want!
2- What is your favorite book and why?
I have a lot of favourite books, but one that comes to mind often is ‘Cryptonomicon’ by Neal Stephenson. This book has a lot going for it – indescribably nerdy characters, story in the present and the past, story in the future, real war encounters and fantasy war encounters, history and imagination. I have really enjoyed reading it each time.
3- If you could be any literary character, who would you be and why?
Not sure. One character who intrigues me, Winston Churchill, is perhaps not seen as a literary character, but I have several books on him that might put the lie to that. Here are some of his comments – Too often the strong silent man is silent because he does not know what to say, and is reputed strong only because he has remained silent – or this one – Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find we have lost the future. Lots of wisdom in those words.
4- Where is your favorite place to write?
I really like peace and quiet. I sometimes take everything into the living room, but if there are others in the house I might take my laptop upstairs to the spare bedroom. If there is still too much going on, I take it to the office.
5- What’s your ideal vacation?
I have to leave to have a vacation. Too many phone calls, drops ins and demands. We love to go to Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island even for a few days. There is nothing to do but walk on that wonderful beach, chase the storms and relax. My husband swims, (shudder) I do not. 🙂
6- If you could give any advice to a novice blogger, what would it be?
Don’t be too demanding on yourself. The advice others will give you probably includes blog at least three times a week, research your audience and speak to their interests, make sure you have them sign up for a newsletter, organize giveaways to encourage commitment. Those things are all true. But how much fun will you have? Why not write about what you love, things that interest you? When you write about what you love, that shines through the words. Then your followers will be those who are interested in the same things, and will be people you’d like to interact with.
7- Who inspires you and why?
Those who act on their convictions. There are always opportunities to be open hearted or willing to listen, but we don’t always respond the way we could. As the kids say – what would Jesus do?
8- What do you do to blow off steam?
I ride my bike. I don’t always ride it very fast, but I love to ride it. I was going down one of the trails here in Victoria the other day and a couple were walking their dog ahead of me. I called out, ‘coming through.’ They startled and the young man grabbed his girl’s arm to pull her out of the way as if a train were coming. As I drew even with them, I said, ‘I may not be fast, but I’m still riding through.’ We had a laugh together about that.
9- If you could choose anyone (real or imagined) to have dinner with, who would it be and why?
I would have dinner with General Paulo Regiment from ‘The Last War: Book One, Khandarken Rising’. This is the first book of a series of mine coming out this month and I’ve been really thrilled with the characters. Regiment fought with the Emperor at the beginning of the Last War, but ended up on the side of the freedom fighters by the finish of the long fight. I’d want to know how he decided to switch sides, and what led him to that decision. You might think I should know this, having written the books, but that would involve a whole other set of books dealing with the prequel – kind of like Star Wars.
10- What’s your favorite food?
Watermelon. Hazelnuts. Almond Roca (is that a food?). Flattened chicken. I can’t have just one favourite, right?
I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about me, and thank you Jacquie Biggar for the great questions. 🙂
I have a few favorite blogs that I follow all the time, including Jacquie Biggar at https://jbiggarblog.wordpress.com/
I’m nominating the following bloggers for this wonderful award:
LizAnn Carson at http://lizanncarson.com/
Donna Hole at http://dolorah.blogspot.ca/
Alice Valdal http://www.alicevaldal.com/
Kathleen Lawless http://www.kathleenlawless.com/contemporary_books.html
Reggi Allder http://reggiallder.com/
Marlene Moss http://marlenemoss.blogspot.ca/
Susan Swiderski at http://susan-swiderski.blogspot.ca/
Here are the rules:
- Once you are nominated, make a post thanking and linking the person who nominated you.
- Include the Liebster award sticker in the post.
- Nominate up to 10 other bloggers who you think are worthy of this award.
- Let them know they have been nominated by commenting on one of their posts.
- Answer the ten questions asked to you by the person who nominated you.
- Think of ten questions you would like your nominees to answer.
- Lastly, copy these rules in the post.
My questions for you are as follows –
- I know you’re a writer (you do a blog), what’s your favourite thing to write?
- Do you like surprises? Tell us about the last one you remember.
- How old were you when you started writing?
- Do you love writing or hate it, and why.
- What would be your dream job?
- What was your favourite childhood story?
- Where in the world do you consider home?
- What is your favourite book, favourite movie?
- What is your greatest pleasure in life?
- Name your favourite food.
Crabapple blossoms show promise for great harvest
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The crabapple tree is loaded with blossom this year. It looks very promising for a great harvest. Now if only the apples stay on the tree long enough to be ready for picking in the fall. I have had to fight the squirrels for them every year for a while now. The first year, I had checked the apples and decided they needed another few weeks. But three days later, there wasn’t an apple left on the tree.
I make crabapple jelly for toast. Spicy crabapple jelly for dotting on cheese and crackers. Crabapple butter which is delightful with chicken or pork. Crabapple sauce, just because we like it.
And the good thing is – I don’t have to do any of that for months yet. There is still time to finish the cover for the first book of my new series, The Last War. I’m so excited.
Let’s hope it’s a good harvest this year.
Productivity – How to Get More Words on the Page
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Like anyone else who writes novels, I sometimes have trouble making progress on my manuscript. ‘Sometimes’ might not be the right word, often is more apropos. (I have a need to be honest here.)
There are interruptions. I have a job, and it’s important to me, given it’s a business that I am part owner of and have invested rather heavily in. (I know, that sentence ended in a preposition. Forgive me.)
Other interruptions include family – what are they thinking? That I want to spend time with them? Well, actually, I do.
Then there are health issues that can come at me suddenly, like a thief in the night, robbing me of my equilibrium and concentration.
Nonetheless, I need to write. What to do?
There are lots of ideas out there
- get your seat in the chair
- put on the timer and write till it tells you to stop
- get a software programme that counts your words and measures your output
- wear noise muffling earphones
- move into the trailer or the barn in the yard until the MS is finished
- set a deadline
There are more ideas. Check out this blog http://novelexperience.info/improved-writing-productivity-100/ for some good ideas on increasing your productivity.
And yet, when it comes right down to it, sometimes you have to cut yourself some slack. Maybe it’s okay to pour a cup of tea and sit out on the patio, watching the plants push up through the dirt, signalling spring is on the way. I’ll settle for that today.
Digging Dahlias
This week I have been digging up my dahlias, cutting the stems off, washing the tubers and tying tags on them so I know what kind it is, what colour, how tall it will grow. It’s a big job. I have discovered (through trial and error) that a lot of plants I am used to growing in my garden won’t thrive here. Roses for instance – they die within a couple of years. I used to grow a lot of roses but not anymore.
When I first began growing dahlias I was told that I would have to dig them up in the fall, store them over the winter and plant them again in the spring. Being of a somewhat stubborn nature, I decided not to do that. No plant was worth that much work.
Then they all died, one by one. It is too wet and cold in my garden for them to last more than a year or two. Resignedly I realized I would have to do the work. The result? A beautiful garden that blooms from mid July to the end of October.
Don’t you think it’s a bit like writing? If you think you can get by with the shortcuts – such as no plot, quick edits, ignoring the learning curve you can end up with a book that doesn’t flourish. But if you pay attention to the detail, provide what is needed, do the work, you’ll end up with a good piece of writing. I think it’s worth the effort
